Cameras for Stargazing: A Beginner's Guide to Astrophotography

By: Don Stephens

Have you ever found yourself inspired by a night sky filled with glimmering stars and wanted to take a picture, only to find that the picture just doesn't do it justice? It's disappointing to see a photo full of black space when the real sky was amazing, but with the help of modern technology and a few helpful pointers, anyone can take up astrophotography as a hobby and get better-looking results.

People just getting started with astrophotography might find themselves overwhelmed by the products that are out there to help them, but it's important to remember that you don't need to rush right out and spend a ton of money. Take the time to explore the options, reading over reviews online and considering your needs. You might also want to look at galleries of other people's photos to get an idea of what your goals might be.

Astrophotography History

History of Space Photography: A timeline of techniques used in the 19th and 20th centuries shows how far we have come with methods of obtaining space images.

Afocal Digital Photography: DSLR cameras are good for more than just human portraits and landscape photos. One of the simplest ways to take photos of space is to point your camera at the eyepiece of a telescope.

Webcam Imaging Using a Small Telescope: Smaller telescopes sometimes gives us a hard time when trying to get quality images. This document teaches you how to fine-tune yours so that you get better-looking photos.

Astrophotographer Gear: The Prescott Astronomy Club offers a podcast discussing what's needed to get started with astrophotography, and there's also a transcript provided.

Equipment to Have for Astrophotographers: Novice astrophotographers are often confused about what to buy or what to do first. This site discusses the equipment you should have to get into this type of photography as well as some methods to help you be successful.

How to Take Photos of Deep Space: Astrophotographers see some exquisite images, and they want to be able to capture what they see on film. Here's a guide explaining the steps you should take to get vibrant color photos.

Astrophotography 101: Photographers usually rely on sunlight, but by pointing their lenses upward, they can take some great shots at night, too.

Astrophotography Processing: To learn more about modern methods and techniques used in astrophotography, turn to this guide, which looks at how technology can improve the quality of these photographs.

Piggyback Method: The piggyback method entails attaching a camera to a telescope that can be moved very gradually so that the camera stays pointed at the same stars, which allows for long exposures that capture stars in fixed positions rather than star trails.